Leonardo DiCaprio set to star as Russian mystic in "Rasputin"

Leonardo DiCaprio is set to star in Warner Bros upcoming project Rasputin , a historical biopic about the Russian mystic who served the Romanov family.

Deadline broke the news of the project, now in development, revealing that DiCaprio was attracted to the psychological complexity of the character Rasputin.

The royal family of Russia embraced the healer, who directly served Tsar Nicholas II and his children, particularly Tsarevich Alexei. The only son of the Tsar and his wife suffered from hemophilia and regularly required medical attention. Rasputin became so important to the royal family that his rivals repeatedly attempted his assassination, succeeding in 1916.

The Huffington Post reports that this news comes after DiCaprio announced he would be taking a break from acting. After consecutively filming The Great Gatsby , Django Unchained , and The Wolf of Wall Street , DiCaprio said he was feeling “a bit drained” and needed “a long, long break.”

Though it can be assumed that production of Rasputin will put a hold on DiCaprio’s hiatus, a time frame for the film has not been announced. For now, DiCaprio can continue to spend time with 20-year-old Victoria Secret model Toni Garrn and celebrating the success of his latest film, The Great Gatsby .